About the team, institute, and the project
VUB Business Development Academy
BUDA’s mission is to develop academic business development training, market research & customized workshops that ensure the future quality of academic business development activities. Furthermore, BUDA’s aim is to develop a business development community hence providing academic business developers both the tools as well as the social network that they can leverage to improve their academic valorisation efforts and the launching of new business.
The VUB Business Development Academy is financed through the Industrial Research Fund of the Flemish government and the European FEDER programme. The BUDA program is under the direct supervision of the VUB Vice Rector for Innovation and Industrial Relations: Prof. Dr. ir. Hugo Thienpont. The IOF board also acts as a sounding board for the board of directors of VUB BUDA.
FARI – Entrepreneurship program
FARI (www.fari.brussels) is an independent, not-for-profit Artificial Intelligence initiative led by two universities in Brussels: The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). This initiative l aims at helping citizens, politicians, and companies as well as not-for-profit organizations to address local, every day or long-term challenges in the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium and Europe.
It brings world-leading and future researchers to the service of the city. It reinforces a virtuous circle: the city encounters problems that FARI can help address with projects that in their turn could lead to major scientific advances, especially in the field of AI (Explainable and Trustworthy), Data (Open) and Robotics (human-centric).
This vacancy relates to the FARI AI research & Innovation Hub that combines the strengths of the VUB and the ULB: Both a far-reaching expertise in artificial Intelligence and robotics combined with in-house developed expertise regarding the preparation, design and development of new companies. As a result, FARI & BUDA are working together within the NextGenEurope program on a support program for AI start-ups in Brussels. Brussels AI startups can turn to BUDA for guidance and support in design and development strategy, as well as for support in market research and knowledge sharing in the field of negotiation techniques, pitching, preparing contracts and agreements and so on.
Job description
The Technology & Innovation team of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is recruiting a full-time researcher in the field of Academic Business Design & Development. The ideal candidate has a strong interest in business development and AI for businesses. Applicants must have a master’s degree in Applied Economics, Commercial Engineering or equivalent. A clear passion for computer science or digital technology is a must for this project.
You will be a member of the VUB Business Development Academy (BUDA).
BUDA’s mission is to develop academic business development training, market research & customized workshops that ensure the future quality of academic business development activities. Furthermore, BUDA’s aim is to develop a business development community hence providing academic business developers both the tools as well as the social network that they can leverage to improve their academic valorisation efforts and the launching of new business.
BUDA’s mission is to develop training in academic business design & development (ABDD), market research and tailor-made workshops that ensure the future quality of academic business development. In addition, BUDA’s goal is to develop a community for ABDD to provide academic business developers with both the tools and social network they can use to enhance their academic valorization efforts and launch new businesses.
In parallel, you will act as an important liaison with the FARI Institute of the ULB/VUB, the Institute for AI for the Common Good, which is funded by the European Union through the RRF program, i.e. the Recovery & Resilience Fund (also known as NextGenEurope). This program provides for a specific action for the recovery of the Brussels Region to support start-ups in the field of AI, Data and Robotics.
- Within BUDA/FARI you are responsible for developing specific training material for FARI, guiding Brussels AI start-ups and research in the field of ‘Technology and Innovation management: Academic Business Design & Development’ with a view to achieving a doctorate.
- In addition, we also support the goals of BUDA: educating and coaching academics to become effective entrepreneurs.
You will conduct applied research in academic business design & development in contemporary universities. You will support the continuous improvement of the BUDA program, the day-to-day business, the administration and the outreach. You also contribute to the development of specific training modules, in this case focus on AI for start-ups and entrepreneurs.
You will also participate in the daily activities of the Technology and Innovation team. The team is a research group of the Department of Business Technology and Operations of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and consists of five PhD students and four professors. The focus of our research activities is on technology transfer and academic entrepreneurship.
Your Profile
- MSc in Management, Business (Engineering), Economics or equivalent, preferably in the domain of Technology Transfer or Innovation Management.
- Or, M.Sc. in Computer Science or Engineering, with additional degrees in Business.
- A passion for business & technology, in AI, Data and Robotics
- Proven ability to engage with external stakeholders
- Fluent in English; knowledge of Dutch is considered an essential asset.
Our Offer
- A competitive salary
- 35 vacation days per year
- Flexible working hours
- Reimbursement for public transport (home-work)
- A stimulating working environment on VUB’s green campus in the heart of Europe
Starting date
1/11/2022
Duration
36 months
Location
Brussels Humanities, Sciences and Engineering Campus, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Equal opportunities
We know we have a lot of work to do to accelerate our commitment to inclusion and diversity in our workplaces and communities. But we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone has an equal opportunity to reach their full potential and be heard and valued, regardless of visible or invisible differences.
Interested in joining our group? Please send fill out the form below or send your CV to geoffrey.aerts@vub.be .